Are Google Play editions the beginning of the end for the Nexus lineup?

Last year saw Google shake up its Nexus device program with the introduction of the Google Play edition: not strict Nexus models per se, but combinations of previously-released commercial hardware with stock Android software. Since those early days, we’ve seen the GPe family grow to outnumber pure Nexus hardware, spreading from smartphones to tablets in the process. Where does the future of the Google Play edition lead us from here? If we’re listening to one new rumor, the GPe lineup may rise to take the place of the Nexus series, ultimately replacing it by sometime next year.

While it’s tempting to reject this rumors on emotional grounds – who WANTS to see cheap, high-spec Nexus phones go away – we have to admit that there’s a touch of logic to the idea. After all, Play edition phones hit much of the important software notes of the Nexus series, and if their updates were given just a little more priority, so much the better. And on the hardware side, we could buy the argument that the sort of phones Motorola is releasing with its Moto X and Moto G are stepping up to fill the affordable off-contract shoes of Nexus handsets.

According to Eldar Murtazin, who voiced this rumor on Twitter early this morning, Google would make the switch sometime next year. He also mentions a rebranding of GPe but it’s not clear if we’re talking about reassigning it the Nexus name, or going with something new altogether.

Your feelings about Murtazin aside, what do you think about this rumor? We hate to say it, but we could almost see Google going down this path. Should we be reading the absence of any new Nexus 10 as a sign that Google is already winding-down its interest in new Nexus models?

Stephen has been writing about electronics since 2008, which only serves to frustrate him that he waited so long to combine his love of gadgets and his degree in writing. In his spare time, he collects console and arcade game hardware, is a motorcycle enthusiast, and enjoys trapping blue crabs. Stephen's first mobile device was a 624 MHz Dell Axim X30, which he's convinced is still a viable platform. Stephen longs for a market where phones are sold independently of service, and bandwidth is cheap and plentiful; he's not holding his breath. In the meantime, he devours smartphone news and tries to sort out the juicy bitsRead more about Stephen Schenck!